


Meet Me In The Book Store

by uniconic_konnie



Category: Naruto
Genre: Awkwardness, College AU, Fluffy, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, Modern AU, SasuNaru - Freeform, Third Person POV, book nerds, cursing, no dead parents haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:55:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27825634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uniconic_konnie/pseuds/uniconic_konnie
Summary: Prompt: Sasuke notices a cutie while walking to class, and regrets not going up to him when he had the chance to. Either way, he sees him later when he’s at the book store.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 14
Kudos: 38





	1. The Familiar Scent of Books and Tea

The day was overcast, the dark clouds threatening to drench anyone at any time. As for Sasuke, the day brought cozy, curl up with a book and tea vibes. Though, that often was the norm for him. He enjoyed a good book and even hoped to become an amazing writer someday. That was why he needed to go to college. He wasn’t the biggest fan of college but often found it easy. It took away from writing and reading time.

Sasuke tried his best to keep warm, keeping his hands in his pockets and pulling his beanie down some more. The weather during winter was the worst, Sasuke simply wanted to enjoy a book without worrying about being cold. ‘Man, I don’t like a lot of stuff…’ He thought to himself. He shrugged, not caring. Being picky and having some kind of standard was better than having nothing. At least, that’s how Sasuke saw it.

Sasuke arrived on campus, yawning and imagining his bed was missing him. He hummed along to a random tune stuck in his head when suddenly his eyes locked onto an especially cute blonde across campus. He stopped dead in his tracks, watching as the boy passed. He was like something out of Sasuke’s thousands of books. He reminded Sasuke of a superstar, his aura was bright and welcoming. The boy greeted everyone as he passed, little blurbs of conversation that would mean nothing to Sasuke seeming to only further please the sun boy. Sun boy, that’s what Sasuke decided to call him as he watched in a daze.

Sun boy soon disappeared from Sasuke’s view. He sighed, “I missed my chance to say something.” He castigated himself in his head. Sasuke didn’t have time to wallow in his disappointment as he rushed towards his class.

\-----

Later that afternoon, Sasuke went about his usual business. The book store was where Sasuke spent his time and money. Most of the time he’d spend more on books than food for the month. Sasuke made most of his money for books off of taking writing commissions and his parents. He was pretty lucky to have the ability to spend so much on books. Sasuke decided to go to the dystopian novel section for this trip, scanning through the books. He reached out for a book but was met with another hand bumping into his own.

Sasuke glanced over to the side. The cute blonde was next to him. “Sun boy.” He said without thinking. The boy gave a confused smile. “Sun boy?” Sasuke turned back to the bookshelf, he grabbed the book. “Uh well- you should be careful.” Sasuke stared for a second. “Stupid fucking idiot.” He added quickly before leaving in a hurry.

He hid in the mystery novel section, trying to look uninterested in his surroundings. Every once in a while he noticed Sun boy meandering around the book store. Sasuke sank to the floor very dramatically. “Gosh… I’m the only stupid idiot here. Why would I say that?” Sasuke forced himself up, grabbing a mystery novel he was eyeing a second ago before making his way to the checkout.

“Hello again, Sasuke.” The cashier greeted him, scanning his two books. He responded with a “Hey”, not wanting to drag on the conversation. He paid, leaving the store. “Great.” He muttered. It had started to rain a few minutes ago. An umbrella-less Sasuke clutched his bag close, not wanting his precious new books to get wet.

\-----

Once he got home, Sasuke was completely doused. He groaned and undressed, throwing aside the wet clothes that clung to his skin. He took out his new books, smiling at them and taking them to his library. Yes, his library. Sasuke had finally invested in making a room in his apartment a library. It was kind of needed for all his books. Tall bookshelves decorated the room, nearly touching the roof. There was a beanbag chair by the window, where Sasuke did most of his reading. The room smelled like books and tea.

It was like Sasuke’s little paradise. He took in the familiar scent as he searched for a place to put these new books. Unfortunately, all the space on the shelves were taken up. This was not a surprise to him. The neatly stacked piles of books around the room were basically screaming at him to get another bookshelf. Still, Sasuke placed the two new books on the pile next to his bean bag chair.

He plopped himself onto the beanbag chair, watching the cars pass by and listening to the rain against the window. He thought of Sun boy, who he regretted insulting. Seriously, Sasuke fucked up on this one. He wished there was some kind of way to apologize. He wasn’t the best at apologies, but for Sun boy, it was worth it. “Maybe I can see him at the book store tomorrow.” He said to himself, picking up one of the new books, the one that Sun boy had reached out for. Sasuke curled up and began reading.


	2. Kocking Down and Building Up

Sasuke woke up to loud construction outside his house, the obnoxious noises they made just upstairs. He was sure one of his neighbors was having one of their walls removed. “I wonder how the landlord approved that…” He muttered to himself, getting up out of his bean bag chair and made his way to the bathroom. He slept on the bean bag chair majority of the time these days, it was better to fall asleep while reading. Sure he had a perfectly nice bed in his own room, but the library was a better room for him. Maybe that was just an excuse.

He brushed his teeth and hair, going through his daily morning routine. Luckily for him, his face was already pretty good so it wasn’t too hard to clean up. Hygiene was very important to Sasuke, not only to look good but to take care of himself. It was one of the only things he cared enough about. Despite the construction, Sasuke was pretty delighted today. This shone through as he sang ‘Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy’ while he waited for the shower to warm up. He thought about how he’d apologize to Sun boy, trying to practice to a shampoo bottle. “Hmph, this is stupid.” He continued washing his hair and focused on singing instead.

For breakfast, he had a blueberry bagel with some butter on top. He ate quickly and grabbed his book from yesterday, despite it having a proper name, he still dubbed it ‘The Sun boy book’, his fixation with this boy was starting to frustrate him. What was it exactly that drew him to the blonde? Sasuke wasn’t quite sure, but he hoped it was just a dumb crush he could get over in a week.

\-----

2 weeks later and Sasuke still hasn’t apologized. He’s read ‘The Sun boy book’ 5 times by now, all the while ignoring the real Sun boy. His hopes that he’d forget in a week seemed to have been washed away because he bumps into Sun boy again. “Oh! Sorry, you okay?” He looked to the bright boy, feeling his cheeks heat up a little. His mouth is ajar but he can’t manage anything out. Sun boy stands up, offering a hand to Sasuke.

The dark-haired boy intertwined their fingers, staring at the other boy for a few seconds. “Oh, uh…. I’m so sorry!” He pulls away from his hand, immediately missing the contact. “I’m also sorry for the other day, that was uncalled for. Uh, I have the book if you want to read it. I’ve read it 5 times now…” He rummaged through his bag and heard the boy’s laughter. He turned to face him, “Don’t laugh!”

“Haha, you’re such a dork. 5 times? It’s okay, I still bought the book afterward.” Sun boy continued smiling, it was pretty blinding to Sasuke. “I just liked the book, reading it 5 times was necessary. Did you like the book?” They talked for a while, soon moving to a cafe to talk.

“A whole library room?! Oh wow, I definitely have to see this.” Naruto spoke quickly and excitedly, that’s what Sasuke had learned Sun boy’s real name was. It was a perfect name for him, he decided. “You can come over right now if you want…” He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he wasn’t being a pest. “For sure!”

They walked to Sasuke’s apartment, which wasn’t too far away. Naruto winced at the construction upstairs. “Sorry about that, I think they’re tearing down a wall.” He unlocked the door, letting himself and Naruto in. “Follow me, it’s over here.” Naruto stood in awe as he took in the room, he didn’t know where to look. “You have so many books, it’s perfect in here!” He read some titles as he walked throughout the room. “This is awesome, Sasuke!” He nodded with a tiny smile. “You can visit whenever you want, I don’t mind.”

“Really? Thank you so much, you’re the best!” Naruto gingerly checked out the books, choosing one and sitting on the floor next to the bean bag chair. “You don’t have to sit on the floor, I’ll get you a chair.” Sasuke turned to leave but Naruto assured him it was fine. After a few more of Naruto’s visits, Sasuke bought him his own bean bag chair and they’d read together. There was only the sound of soft breaths, page-turning, and the occasional position change. It was nice. ‘I hope this isn’t moving too fast…’ Sasuke thought, stealing a glance up at Naruto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to be a lil extra with the title, meaning knocking down that wall literally, and figuratively the wall that Sasuke and Naruto have up right now. Then building up their relationship, so uh yeah.


	3. Paw Prints and Coffee

The past few weeks had been great for Sasuke. Naruto came over frequently, whether it be to read or to work on homework together. Occasionally they even went shopping for books together. He was relieved his mind wasn’t on Sun boy 24/7. Sasuke still called him Sun boy sometimes, that’s what he had him as in his phone contacts anyway. Old habits die hard, and today was no different.

Again he woke up on the bean bag chair, taking a glance out the window. People were speeding around below, all rushing off to work or whatever else they had to do. Sasuke lazily got up, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. His phone was bright in his face and had notifications of messages from Naruto.

7:34am

Sun boy: u fell asleep and looked so peaceful so i just left quietly, hope u dont mind!

Me: It’s fine, sorry I fell asleep.

He got a quick message back reassuring him it was fine, so he left his phone on the bean bag and headed to the bathroom. He did the usual, but today he ate some scrambled eggs. Today he only had 2 classes so it wasn’t so bad. He watched some news on TV while he ate, hoping to be informed of what was going on.

After that, he worked on some homework before finally, the time for his class rolled around. He grabbed a coat and his beanie too. Winter wasn’t being too harsh today, the wind every so often deciding to kick up. Still, he got through the day just fine.

He was walking back home when he noticed a new shop on his block. He looked up to the sign, “Hm, ‘Calico’... sounds pretty cool.” He peered into the window, an array of cats occupied the cafe. Sasuke’s eyes shifted to the employees working inside. He hadn’t even noticed the construction of the place, perhaps this would be their opening day. With a final glance at the sign which detailed their opening time, he continued on home.

Sasuke dialed Naruto, hoping he’d be free. He was a fan of cats and this could be a fun, chill way to invite Naruto on a date. However, should he frame it as a date? Yes? No? Before he had time to think of what to say, Naruto’s loud voice called out to him over the phone. “HEYO SASUKE! What’s up?”

“Uh- ya wanna go on a cat cafe date with me?” He stammered out, internally and externally cringing at himself. He heard silence on the other side of the line. ‘Oh, he probably doesn’t want to…’ Sasuke thought, leaning against his apartment wall. He didn’t go in just yet. “Are you kidding? You don’t have to ask me twice! Where are we meeting up? It’s right now, right?” The dark-haired boy could only assume the other noise he heard was Naruto shoving aside his books and rushing out the door.

“Just meet me outside my apartment, it’s within walking distance of the cafe.” His bright smile soon replaced the tiny frown he’d had just a second ago. “Right, see you soon. BYE!” Sasuke waited patiently and 15 minutes later Naruto was running up to him. He took a few minutes to catch his breath before greeting Sasuke. “Alright! Let’s go, lead the way.” He nodded and began down the sidewalk. 

He flinched when he felt Naruto’s hand against his own. He turned to face him, “Wanna hold hands? I mean, it’s normal to hold hands on a date right?” Sasuke did want to hold hands, so he quietly slipped his hand into Naruto’s. It fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces connecting.

Sasuke kept walking down the sidewalk, Naruto walking at his side basically emanating his happy energy like a bright light. “Anyone ever told you you’re as bright as that one extremely overly-decorated house every neighborhood has for Christmas?” Naruto could barely contain his laugher, holding his stomach. “You’re creative, huh?”

They soon arrived at the cafe, the little bell ringing as they walked through the door.

“Hello sirs, welcome to Calico! You’re our first customers ever, please allow us to give you a wonderful experience.” A waitress bowed her head before leading the two to a table and handing them each a menu. “Wow, all the cats are so pretty here…” Naruto gaped at the cats who couldn’t seem to care less about him.

Sasuke focused on the menu, looking through all the cutesy titles that had pictures of cat-themed pastries next to them. It definitely gave off a pastel and cozy aesthetic, nice for cute little dates like this one. Right, he was on a date, and so far he’d been ignoring Naruto. “So, uh, you like cats too?” Naruto smiled, “Yep! They kinda remind me of you, you can be standoffish to most people but warm up to those you like. Judging by how I got to your house frequently and you invited me on this date, I’m not most people.” His eyes narrowed and his smile was playful. “Whatever. You over-analyze.” Sasuke averted his eyes.

The waitress took their orders, “I’ll have them done in two shakes of a cat’s tail, get it? Because instead of a lamb, it’s a cat… Anyway, I’ll be back soon.”

Naruto giggled, “You have to admit that was a good one.” Sasuke shrugged but grinned. Gradually more and more people found their way into the shop, the overall volume was nice and that of light chatter. A cat leaped up into Sasuke’s lap, he ran his hand along the cat’s back and it settled down on his lap. “Wow, that cat looks like you if you were a cat, all black and mysterious you know?” He nodded, continuing to pet the purring cat.

The waitress was back with their pastries and drinks before rushing off to serve the other customers.

Sasuke didn’t want to take his hands off of the cat, so he asked Naruto to feed him his castella. The blonde was happy to oblige, taking a fork and taking a tiny piece. He lifted it to Sasuke’s mouth, the darker-haired boy ate it happily. They continued, Naruto eating his own desert slowly. All too soon they were done, the black cat had lost interest, and Sasuke paid for their food. They said goodbye, promising to come again.

“Wanna check out that new book that released yesterday? I didn’t get to buy it yesterday ‘cause I had stupid homework to do.” Naruto’s hand never left Sasuke’s and even before Sasuke could answer yes or no, they were walking in the direction of the book store. It was more instinct than a habit at this point, they both knew Sasuke would say yes. Naruto rambled on, discussing mundane things, Sasuke listened and offered replies when needed.

They went into the store, it was bustling due to people wanting to buy the new book. “Wait in line, I’ll get us them.” Sasuke waited in line and watched as Naruto ran off to get the books. The line moved fairly quickly and Naruto was back quickly. They kept holding hands, Sasuke not feeling embarrassed anymore.

They each paid for their book and left. “We should’ve stayed and looked around,” Naruto complained as he looked back to the store. “We both know we would’ve spent way too much time and not have enough time for homework.” Sasuke chimed in, but he felt the same way deep down.

Arriving at Sasuke’s apartment wasn’t exactly the best thing, because that meant it was time for Naruto to go back home. “Today was really fun, thanks for coming on short notice. I just saw the cafe and knew we’d love it.” He smiled at him, Naruto returning the smile. “No worries, today was amazing. I’ve got to go now, but next time I come over we can read the book and have a little discussion, okay?” Sasuke nodded.

He gathered up some courage and quickly kissed Naruto. “Night, have a safe trip home.” He quickly said before swiftly shutting himself in his apartment. His cheeks felt as if they were on fire, Sasuke touched his lips. ‘Damn.’ Was all he thought, only getting up and turning on the lights once he was sure Naruto left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dedicate this chapter to 'Calico'. I was watching the Nintendo Indie Showcase lifestream and it caught my eye. I bought it on my Switch and I absolutely love the game so far. You can get it on Switch or Steam btw! Also, cat cafes are cute so I wanted to include this little cute fluffy thing bc why not? Ya know? What'd you think of the kiss at the end?


	4. The Story’s Only Just Begun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale!

The day after Sasuke kissed Naruto was a hectic one. Naruto had come over like usual, as it would be weird if he didn’t. Sasuke managed to keep a composed facade but his heart pounded. Naruto shuffled more than usual, unable to find a comfortable position. Sasuke huffed, putting down his book. “We both know what we’re thinking.” He stated simply. They both were like middle school kids with their first crushes again.

“Yeah… but you were so bold then cowardly within a span of a few minutes!” Naruto giggled and used a hand to attempt to cover up his laughter. Sasuke’s face twisted into embarrassment. “Whatever. You seem pretty affected too.” He turned away from Naruto to face the window but glanced over at him with his eyes. “Well of course, dumbass. I like you.”

A silence fell over them. “Me too. I like you too.” He said softly. Naruto sat forward in his bean bag. He took a hand and gently brought Sasuke’s face closer to his own. It started out soft and slow, but steadily they eventually were full-on making out. Sasuke raised his hand to touch it to Naruto’s on his face. He pulled away to breathe. “Ah, your hands are soft.” He remarked. “That’s all you got from that?” Naruto adored the smile on Sasuke’s face. “Oh please, I’m sure you weren’t thinking about the kiss either.” He quipped.

He’d been the one to light up the grumpy boy’s face. Although their warmth, affection, and fondness for each other came crashing down on them so quickly, just as easily it could have been like missing a flight by a few minutes. Something left to be desired but ultimately you’re just left frustrated and hopeless.

Luckily for them, that wasn’t the case. Their desire for each other was something out of a romcom. “You’re right, my heart aches for you. I only wish to be close to you. I want to cherish and treasure you forever.” He held Sasuke’s face in his hands. Sasuke’s face flushed. “I- That’s unfair! You’re being cute, too cute. Too sincere.” Sasuke wasn’t used to someone caring so much.

“You’re my radiant sun, shining your rays on me. It’s much better than being consumed by darkness, and I know you’re by my side. My divine beauty.” Sasuke tried not to laugh as he said the words. They went back and forth with the overly-lovey dovey cringe until Naruto finally gave up. “I guess you’re the better serenader of words, mm?” Sasuke shrugged, “Eh, just’ve read a romance book or two.”

Sasuke checked the time, “Ah shit! I’m so sorry Naruto, I’ve got class in a few minutes.” He frowned, not wanting to have to go. “It’s alright, I’ll see you in a little bit anyway.” Naruto smiled and kissed his cheek. “Cheer up, okay?” Sasuke nodded and they left his apartment.

“Meet me at the bookstore later?” Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded, “Of course.”

They headed in opposite directions, each smiling to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this ending! I am SO SORRY it took forever to come out. I've been super busy with school. Hopefully I can get some more fics out soon. I made this story softer because it's what I needed to just be comfortable and the awkwardness is my inner hopeless romantic coming out but to the max lol. Thank you for patiently waiting my beloved readers. Every comment makes my day knowing that someone liked my story enough to comment on it. I'll stop my rambling now, feel free to tell me what you thought in the comments <3


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